This is my list of chest exercises and the ones I feel give the best results. The chest is a popular muscle to train. However, it can be very easy to get carried away, so please take note of the tips and key note areas for each of these exercises.
Introduction to your chest muscle
Your chest muscles, also called your Pectorals or Pecs for short, are one of the most commonly worked muscle groups on a man due to its showiness from the front and probably one of the most over worked as well. The chest muscles are made up of the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor which help with the movement of your shoulder joint in various angles and rotations mostly in a forward and/or down and/or inward direction. You will notice in the anatomy image that the pectoralis major runs into the front shoulder muscle, but these are in fact two different muscle groups.
My chest exercise list:
Bench press and incline press
Type: Compound
Function: Works the entire pec area, front delts and triceps with some assistance from the biceps, forearms and even some outer back (lats) involvement. An incline bench press will shift a little more emphasis on the upper pec area.
Form: Lying on a bench facing up, pushing your shoulders down into the bench and feet flat on the floor, take hold of a racked barbell with an overhand grip (thumbs wrapped around bar), take a deep breath and then exhale as you lift it from its rack stand. Breathing in, lower the barbell to your nipple line, then press the barbell up as you breathe out and stop just short of locking your arms out at the top. Repeat for required reps and sets.
Tips: In order to protect your shoulders, ensure you lower the bar to your mid to lower pec area and not your neck (this means keeping your elbows slightly forward as you lower the weight) and it also means you are pressing in a slight ark and not a straight line. Keep your wrists as straight as possible, firm grip and bar resting on the palm. Set the bar on the uprights so that you have enough height to press it up and off to the start position comfortably and then back again on your last rep, if it is too high, you may struggle to get the weight back on it on your last rep. Control the weight on the way down. Keep your shoulders down and back throughout the exercise and don’t push into the bench with your head to avoid neck injuries. Keep your bum on the bench, slight natural curve to the back, chest slightly raised and squeeze the shoulder blades together as you lift. For safe lifting I would highly recommended a rack or cage and/or a spotter to help. If you prefer, do several empty bar reps to practise the technique. Your feet should be set wide to create a stable base when lying on the bench. When gripping the bar ensure you place your thumbs around the bar for a safer grip.
Key notes: Very popular strength exercise, but can also be detrimental to both pecs and front shoulders when too much weight is used and bad form takes over. Always use proper form and don’t let your ego take over.
Variations: If you suffer from any shoulder issues, then you can either replace bench presses with dumbbell presses, press-ups or use a bar that allows a neutral grip (palms facing in towards each other) allowing you to push your elbows forward reliving pressure off the shoulder joint. To place more emphasis on the upper pecs you can also do the exercise on an incline bench. Set the bench at around 25-35 degrees depending on which angle feels like it is hitting your desired area of the pecs.
Click on images below, the last one is a GIF animation:
Bench press side view
Bench press viewed from behind
Dumbbell Press (flat and incline)
Type: Compound
Function: As with the barbell, the dumbbell press works the entire pec area, front shoulders and the triceps with some assistance from the biceps , forearms and even some outer back (lats) involvement. It will also work more of your stabalizer muscles, due to the free movement of the individual dumbbells in each hand. An incline dumbbell press will shift a little more emphasis on the upper pec area.
Form: I’m going to describe the flat dumbbell press here, but the same principle applies to the incline and decline press (see variations below and images for the incline dumbbell press). Taking hold of a pair of dumbbells, lay flat on a bench with feet flat on the floor. Hold the dumbbells with palms facing forwards, elbows bent at 90 degrees. Taking a deep breath press the dumbbells up as you breathe out, bring the dumbbells together at the top in a controlled manner. Slowly bring the weight back down to the start position as you breath in. Repeat for required reps and sets.
Tips: Don’t over stretch at the bottom. Keep your shoulder down and don’t hunch them so they go towards your ears. A very slight stretch is OK, but don’t let the dumbbell go much beyond parallel with your body when lying flat. Keep your wrists straight, your butt on the bench and elbows between 45-70 degrees away from the sides of your body (i.e. not at 90 degrees out to the sides, as this places too much stress on the front delts and rotator cuff. Concentrate on squeezing the pecs throughout the push part of the movement especially as you reach the top. Keep tension in the muscle as you lower it, don’t just let it drop to the start position. For heavy dumbbell lifting it may become difficult to get the dumbbells into position. If this is the case you can place the dumbbells on your knees/front thighs and as you lean back bring your knees up pushing the dumbbells into position. Another way is to use dumbbell hooks in a rack or hanging them from a barbell with the hooks. Your feet should be set wide to create a stable base when lying on the bench.
Key notes: The use of dumbbells over the barbell allows you to contract towards the middle of the exercise, giving you a better squeeze at the top. It also allows you to find a comfortable hand position for those with any shoulder issues. One thing to note is that you will be using much less weight with the dumbbells than you would with a barbell.
Variations: As mentioned above if you have any shoulder issues or want to safeguard your shoulders, then you can use a neutral grip with palms facing towards each other and bring your elbows closer in at around 45 degrees to the body. You can also bring the dumbbells closer together at the top with a neutral hand position. Another variant is to start in the regular press position and then twist the dumbbells to the neutral position for that extra close squeeze at the top. For those without a bench you can still benefit from this exercise by laying on the floor and doing a floor press (this may also benefit those with a shoulder issue, due to the reduced range of motion at the stretch point). To place more emphasis on the upper pecs you can also do the exercise on an incline bench (see images below). Set the bench at around 25-35 degrees depending on which angle feels like it is hitting your desired area of the pecs. For hitting the lower pec area more, then you can use a decline bench.
Click on images below, the last one is a GIF animation:
Incline dumbbell press side view
Incline dumbbell press viewed from behind
Alternative neutral hold for dumbbell press side view
Alternative neutral hold for dumbbell press viewed from behind
Press-ups (push-ups)
Type: Compound
Function: Works the entire pec area.
Form: To do a regular press-up, kneel on a floor and place your hands down on the floor slightly wiper than shoulder width apart (see tips). Straighten your legs with toes on the ground and now with your body as straight as you can get it, lower yourself down by bending at the elbows. Keep your shoulders down and not let them up towards your ears. Go low enough so your elbows are at body height and not pulled too far back. Push back up concentrating on contracting your pec muscles. Repeat for required reps and sets.
Tips: Press ups can be hard on your wrists when using the palm of your hand on the floor, to make it easier on the wrist joint, you can keep your wrists straight by using push up handle bars or press with your knuckles (clenched fist), as this will help avoid possibly injuring your wrists. If you want to make the exercise easier or cannot do a full press up, you can perform the exercise with your knees on the ground or at an angle leaning against a chair or other stable structure until you are strong enough to perform full press-ups. If you want to make it more difficult, you can wear a weight vest. To maximise the benefits of this exercises, keep your shoulder engaged and back, concentrate on moving the pec muscles and squeezing them at the top. Do not put your bum in the air or sag down, keep your body straight and neck straight and in the neutral position or look very slightly up ahead of you, but don’t strained your neck trying to look up. Don’t go all the way down if it irritates your shoulders, just feel a gentle stretch in the chest and shoulder muscles.
Key notes: I have found press-ups to be one of the best pec exercises you can do. It just feels more natural.
Variations: Different hand spacing will place more emphasis on different parts of your pecs, front deltoids and triceps. You can also do the exercise leaning on a bench with feet on the ground to hit more of the lower pec area or with your feet up on a bench to do an inverted incline to place slightly more emphasis on the upper pec area.
Click on images below, the last one is a GIF animation:
Dips
Type: Compound
Function: Works the entire pec area, with emphasis on the lower portion of your pecs, triceps, front deltoids and assistance from your lats. The traps also work as a stabiliser.
Form: Setting yourself between two parallel bars, take a grasp of the bars at around shoulder width apart with arms straightened and locked, elbows close to the body. Take a deep breath as you slowly lower yourself down by bending at the elbow. Lean into the exercise, but keep your body straight. Stop where your upper arm is at around 90 degrees. Push back up to the start position while breathing out. Repeat for required reps and sets.
Tips: Keep your wrists straight, concentrate on contracting the chest muscles throughout the exercise. Keep your core muscles tight. You can either cross your lower legs behind you or keep your legs straight, which ever feels most comfortable. Keep your shoulders back and down. It is up to you if you want to lock your elbows out at the top of the movement, by not locking out you can keep tension in the chest muscles, but if you need to rest-pause between reps, then lock out.
Key notes: I only just decided to add this exercise, purely as it is a great upper body strength and muscle builder. However, if you have any shoulder issues, do not do this exercises. The potential for impingement is high if done incorrectly and still of concern if done correctly.
Variations: I do not recommend any of the other dips variations, as they can cause issues with your shoulder joint and rotator cuff. If you want to add weight, you can use a dipping belt or a weight vest. If you can’t do a dip, you can just do the lowering part of the exercise and place your feet on the floor/bench and start from the top again, until you are strong enough to be able to complete a rep or two.
Click on images below, the last one is a GIF animation:
Dumbbell flyes (flat and incline)
Type: Isolation
Function: The flat dumbbell fly works the pectoralis major and to a degree the front deltoids, with some assistance from the biceps. Incline dumbbell flyes will work the same muscles with a bit more emphasis on the upper pecs and front deltoids.
Form: Take hold of a pair of appropriate weight dumbbells (see tips below). Lay on either a flat or incline bench (incline should be set between 25-35 degrees depending on which angle feels like it is hitting your desired area of the pecs). With the dumbbells held above you with palms facing each other and arms with a slight bend at the elbow, bring your arms slowly out and down to your sides, like you are about to give someone a big hug, stop when you can feel a slight stretch in the pecs and front delts and the dumbbells are at around level with your chest at the most on a flat bench and slightly higher than that when on an incline bench. Then reverse the motion and squeeze your pecs at the top to keep the tension on them.
Tips: Keep your arms locked in the same position with a slight bend. Be careful at the bottom of the exercise not to over stretch and hyperextend your shoulders. Use light weights with this exercise. Keep your shoulders down and back and chest slightly up and out. Your feet should be set wide on the floor to create a stable base when lying on the bench. Use this exercise to either pre-exhaust or finish your chest routine and use pressing movements for fully contracting the pecs under tension.
Key notes: If you have any shoulder issues, do not do this exercises. The potential for impingement is high if done incorrectly and still of concern if done correctly.
Variations: The flat dumbbell fly can be done on the floor if you don’t have a bench and is also highly recommended alternative to a bench if you are prone to shoulder issues.
Click on images below, the last one is a GIF animation:
Dumbbell fly side view
Dumbbell fly viewed from behind
My final thoughts on chest exercising
Common problems with some chest exercises
As mentioned above, the chest muscles are often over worked or developed in comparison to the back and shoulder muscles. This in turn can lead to an imbalance which can lead to rotator cuff injuries later down the road. Other problems include, using too much weight, over stretching the front deltoids and flaring the elbows and lifting the shoulders towards your ears. Most people also find it difficult to isolate portions of the chest due to strong front deltoid activation, however you can try to provide more emphasise by varying exercise angles and experimenting with the feel of a muscle. Be careful however to make sure you are not creating joint/ligament friction, especially with the shoulder joint, so don’t do exercises that put the shoulder joint in uncomfortable positions.
